


she’s a kvetch

by larvitar



Category: Booksmart (2019)
Genre: F/F, Hanukkah, bisexual jewish icon molly davidson, holigays
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:41:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28444854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/larvitar/pseuds/larvitar
Summary: Molly and Annabelle celebrate Hanukkah in New Haven, where sparks fly a bit (and not just from the menorah).☆★☆molly/annabelle, one-shot, fluffy (+ slightly suggestive) holiday shit. woohoo!
Relationships: Annabelle | Triple A/Molly (Booksmart)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	she’s a kvetch

**Author's Note:**

> is this totally too late for hanukkah??? YES. oops. my bad. if it was 2019 it wouldn’t be late though so let’s just pretend. i think this pun is so fucking smart and honestly? yeah, i be spitting. anyway enjoy these two dorks, comments & kudos always appreciated

Molly was usually alone for Hanukkah.

It started when she was nine, when she’d wait for her mom to come home so they could light the menorah and her mom would call her and Molly would pick up using the ugly landline in her kitchen and her mom would say “I’m sorry,  _ bubbeleh _ , I won’t be home in time tonight,” and Molly would hang up and sulk. She didn’t start lighting the menorah on her own until she was 12, which was when her mother finally allowed her to. For the years she spent it alone after that, on every night of Hanukkah, her mom would come home, compliment the menorah, and give her a kiss on the head while she went straight to bed.

This changed when she was 16– she had been, in a rare moment of weakness, complaining to Amy about it. Molly almost never complained, due to the fact if she had an issue with something she’d just take action. However, with  _ this,  _ she simply couldn’t take action.

“When does Hanukkah start?” Amy asked, pulling out her phone.

“Tuesday,” Molly replied. “The 12th.” Molly blinked, turning to Amy with her phone out. “Why?” Molly already knew why, but she wanted Amy to say it.

“O-oh, no r-reason.” While both of them were pretty socially inept and didn’t have any friends besides each other (unless their teachers counted), Amy was the more awkward of the two, while most found Molly’s bluntness off putting. 

“Okay then,” Molly replied, grinning. “Whatever you say.”

☆★☆

Fast forward to Tuesday, and sure enough, a brisk knock on her front door and subsequent opening of said door revealed Amy was standing there with a small box.

“Happy Hanukkah, Molly!” She opened the box, struggling a bit. “Doug made latkes.”

Latkes there sure were, warm it seemed, in addition to several chocolate gold coins on the side. A makeshift instant-Hanukkah box.

Molly smiled at the gesture, giving the redhead a firm hug before taking the box from her. Sure, she might be alone for Hanukkah, but at least these fresh Antsler latkes would make her a little less lonely.

“Amy, I seriously fucking love you so much. And Doug, too.” She pulled back, still smiling. “See you tomorrow, Ames.” Molly began to shut the door, until Amy put her foot in the doorway.

“No no, I came over here to celebrate Hanukkah  _ with  _ you, Molly. I asked my parents if I could and my dad said he’d make you something, so, here I am.”

Molly blinked. She expected Amy to do something, but not give up her time to spend Hanukkah with Molly.

“Are you sure?” Molly asked, brow furrowing.

“Dude, of course. It fucking sucks you had to be alone before, but now you got me.”

Molly half-smiled at that.  _ How the fuck did she get so lucky with the best person on Earth? _

“Hell yeah. You wanna go inhale these motherfuckers?”

“Fuck yeah, Mol.”

☆★☆

That started a tradition of Amy coming over every night of Hanukkah to keep her company and light the menorah and spin the dreidel, if they had time. Molly hadn’t played since she was a little girl going to her bubba’s house for Hanukkah, where she would eagerly grab at the chocolate coins, but Amy always seemed to make it fun. Hanukkah usually interfered with studying for finals, so the only real difference was that the two would be studying at Molly’s house instead of at the library or at Amy’s. In any case, Molly duly appreciated it.

Until, of course, she was off at college, and her dear best friend was in a whole other continent.

“I’m sorry I can’t be with you this year, Mol.” Amy says, her voice cracking with the bad quality of her international call she got once a month. “I’d swim across the ocean if I could, but you know I can’t swim.”

Molly sighs. She’s right. “It’s okay, Ames. There’s nothing really you can do. I’ll live. Besides, I’m old enough now to celebrate it by myself.”

“That doesn’t make it any less  _ sad, _ ” Amy protests.

“Once again, it’s okay, Amy. I promise.”

“Oh, wait, can’t you celebrate with Annabelle?”

Oh, right. Annabelle. Her dear, dear roommate who was a little bit complicated most of the time. But she had a good heart. (Probably. Most likely.)

“I don’t know if she’s Jewish.”

“So?”

“Hanukkah this year goes through Christmas. If she wants to celebrate Christmas, I certainly won’t stop her, but I certainly won’t participate.”

“I think you should talk to her about it. Do you have a menorah?”   


Molly blinks. No, no she doesn’t. She wasn’t sure if she was going to be back in LA for the holiday break, so the menorah is at home. Her mom had to work again this year, sadly, and she reasoned that it wouldn’t make any sense to fly Molly home and back (or heaven forbid fucking  _ driving  _ the heruclean distance to New Haven) if she wouldn’t get to see her all that much. Molly understood, unfortunately.

“No. No, I don’t. It’s at home.”

“Well, you’re on the east coast, so you can probably find a tiny shop to buy one at, can’t you?”

Molly blinks. “You’re right. Is your host family celebrating Christmas?”

Amy laughs. “Yeah. They’re actually going full-out for it ‘cause I’m here. It’s really sweet. They brought in a massive tree yesterday.”

Molly chuckles. “Bigger than the one Doug brought home our sophomore year?”

Amy huffs. “Hey! He just wanted me to have a good 16th.”

“By bringing you home a huge Christmas tree that he had to put outside because it couldn’t fit in your living room.”

“I just appreciate the effort, okay? And I appreciate my host family’s effort, too.” Amy hums. “And I’m sure Annabelle will put in the effort for you, too.”

Molly’s face flushed. God. Did she have to put it like that?

“Okay, yeah, yeah, talk to you later, Ames. Merry Christmas.”

“Thanks Mol. Uh-  _ chag sameach _ ? Did I pronounce it right?”

Molly laughs, again. “Pretty good. You been practicing your Hebrew or something?”

“A little bit! I felt like I should know.”

Molly smiles to herself. “I love you, you beautiful creature. Talk to you… hopefully sooner than later.”

“And I love you, Miss Davidson, ruler of my heart. Talk to you soon!”

With that, Amy hangs up the phone and the dorm goes silent again. Yeah,  _ chag sameach  _ to Molly, and Molly alone.

☆★☆

As it happened, Annabelle was also staying in their cozy dorm room to work. Through their months spent together here in Connecticut, Molly had discovered that while her family was more well-off than Molly and her mother (which, no shit, Sherlock), her father would sometimes refuse to pay his child support, and being a manager at an Urban Outfitters (seriously, could she  _ get  _ any more LA) certainly didn’t do her mom’s finances any favors. So, here they were together, spending the holiday season almost 3,000 miles away from family. Riveting.

As it happened, Molly didn’t have to consult Annabelle’s opinion on maybe celebrating Hanukkah, as a few days before Hanukkah itself, Annabelle came home with a small, paper bag in her hand, looking a bit frazzled and her cheeks warm from the cold. She didn’t necessarily slam it, but she loudly placed it on their counter and asked Molly, sitting on the couch with a glass of tea and some book of theory she really isn’t all too interested in, “Are you practicing?”

Molly places down her book and her glass of tea and stares intently at Annabelle. “Practicing what?”

Annabelle sighs, and looks down before returning eye contact again. “Like a practicing Jew, dumbass.”

Molly blinks. “Uh, yeah, mostly.”

With that, Annabelle is digging her hands in the paper bag. “So you celebrate Hanukkah, right?”

“Right.”

“Okay, cool, ‘cause I got you this for it.”

Out of the bag reveals a silver menorah (not as big as the one her mom has but still a good size for two college girls) as well as nine candles for the occasion.

“I figured since we’re both in New Haven for the holidays, I might as well try to make it a little less depressing. I don’t think you would’ve had a menorah with you, so…” Annabelle shrugs, trying to come off casual. “I thought it would be cool if we could like, have our own little celebration here.”

What the fuck? Molly feels like crying. This is like, Amy-level sweet. What the fuck?

Molly rushes her with a hug. “You’re seriously the fucking greatest, you know that?” She says, after pulling back at looking at Annabelle maybe a bit  _ too  _ earnestly. At least Annabelle is wearing a grin of her own.

“No shit, Davidson.”

☆★☆

Hanukkah, all things considered, goes well. Molly tries to make latkes on the second day as per asking her mom for her bubba’s recipe. This does not go well, and one evacuation of their dorm later, Annabelle laughs and says she’ll take care of it, which she does. The latkes in question are delicious, and it helps Molly forget about the fact that the entirety of her dorm was forced to exit into the east coast cold all because Molly Davidson nearly burned her dorm down trying to make latkes.

On the fourth day, which just so happens to be Christmas, Molly volunteers to rush the winter weather and as per tradition, get Chinese for the two. Molly listens to Annabelle spin a story about the previous Christmas and how Nick almost murdered her trying to get her to cut down a Christmas tree. The only light right now is their (Molly almost chokes on her crab rangoon thinking about that) menorah faintly glowing, and Annabelle like this is glowing. Positively, completely, glowing.

The fifth day, Annabelle asks Molly if she should be getting her any gifts for Hanukkah. Molly looks up from her computer, blinking once again and looking very quizzically at Annabelle.

Molly shrugs. “I mean, you don’t  _ have  _ to. Some people just give money. Others give gifts so their kids won’t feel left out from Christmas gift-giving consumerism bullshit.”

Annabelle laughs- like really  _ laughs _ and Molly feels like she might die this very second. Molly clears her throat, partially to speak again but mostly to clear her thoughts. “But it just depends. You can, or you can’t.”

“Okay, good to know.” Annabelle says, somewhat mysteriously, dipping into her bedroom.

Molly doesn’t see any results from this conversation until the seventh day, where she and Annabelle are strolling through downtown New Haven, Molly holding Annabelle’s arm securely (only because it’s chilly out and strictly no other reasons whatsoever) as they walk leisurely through the streets. They’re silent, mostly, until Annabelle pipes up.

“So, I might’ve got you something for the last night of Hanukkah.”

Molly turns to her, just the tiniest bit bewildered. “Are you kidding? Dude! I didn’t get you shit!” Molly pretends to whack her a bit, Annabelle laughing lightly all through it.

“It’s fine, okay? No big deal. I promise.”

The eighth night finally comes, with Molly sweating her way through the entire day of what Annabelle could’ve possibly gotten her. Soon enough, she finds herself lighting the final candle, her face red as hell (which is likely not just from the heat of the flames but rather the way Annabelle is looking at her currently), and when she’s done, she’s found Annabelle is holding a small bag in front of her that she must’ve quickly retrieved from somewhere. Molly blinks, staring down at it.

“Are you going to open it, you tool?” Annabelle says, snickering.

“Fuck you,” grumbles Molly, taking the small bag from her and taking the tissue paper out and grabbing the small object inside.

Said object was a tiny, pure gold necklace of a bulldog. It’s nice shit, Molly can tell, not something from Forever 21 or wherever the fuck that would sell easily rusting jewelry. 

“It’s a bulldog, ‘cause, you know, Yale bulldogs and shit.” A pause, and Molly feels the beginnings of tears start to well in her eyes, before she hurriedly wipes them away.

Now, Annabelle is looking at her concernedly. “Dude, are you crying?” 

Molly is still wiping away tears. God, they just keep fucking  _ coming.  _ “No. No. Of course I’m not crying. Fuck you.” Still, her tear ducts betray her as a few tears spill down her cheeks.

Annabelle laughs lightly. “Come here, you fucking loser.” Her hands wrap around Molly, resting on her back and Molly suddenly wishes her clothing choices weren’t so conservative for once.

“I love you, you huge fucking dork.” Molly says, cradling Annabelle’s face. She laughs again, the sound beyond ethereal as always. “You’re one to talk,” Annabelle retorts.

And, because she can’t fucking help herself, Molly’s eyes dart down a bit lower. She’s  _ right there, right there, right fucking there— _

“If you want to kiss me, you can just say so, Davidson.”

Molly’s face goes pure red.  _ Fuck this stupid beautiful girl and all her stupid clever tricks. _ “Fine. You caught me red-handed. Just fucking kiss me, okay?”

Annabelle gives her a small smile, leaning in as the two connect. It’s chaste, for a bit, until the two get comfortable enough to where Molly feels the heat of Annabelle’s tongue in her mouth. The two pull back for breath then, both of them lightly panting.

Annabelle’s face soon returns back to  _ that  _ smile, the one that makes Molly’s guts all turn into liquid goop and make her entire brain want to shut down. “Happy Hanukkah, Davidson.” Her voice is low, and the three words are right against her ear. Holy  _ fuck.  _ Molly has to pull back a bit from Annabelle to control herself.

“Happy Hanukkah, Annabelle. Really, thank you, for… this. All this. It was… really nice. Like, seriously.”

Annabelle pulls back a bit too, her smile gaining a bit more of a lighter edge. “Of course.” With that, Annabelle kisses her on the cheek and exits to her room.

Molly just sits there surprised for a bit longer, basking in the feeling, until Annabelle peeks out from behind the door of her room to look at her and blink. “Are you coming?”

Is she—  _ oh.  _ Oh. Okay. “Yes, yes. Give me a second.”

(No longer, would it seem, would she ever have a lonely Hanukkah.)

☆★☆

**Author's Note:**

> i love how the molly/annabelle dynamic is “you are such a fucking dweeb why do i like you anyway i’m gonna kiss the shit out of you”. fucking idiots. love them. if i got anything inaccurate my apologies :-( don’t hesitate to correct me. i checked the details in it but i am very scatterbrained. anyway this fic also includes my headcanon that amy is a sagittarius queen. i believe it! (molly is probably a scorpio with fire placements if you were wondering.) hope you all enjoyed, happy late hanukkah!!!  
> ☆★☆  
> torture me on tumblr:  
> krookodyke.tumblr.com


End file.
